Fruit of Faithfulness
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December 06, 2015 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Today let's delve into the fruit of faithfulness, which is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, and how it is different from the faithfulness in the sight of worldly people. Those who are spiritually faithful are treasures in the kingdom of God and they give out a fragrant aroma.
1. Faithfulness is doing more than just that which is entrusted to us.
We don't say workers are faithful just because they fulfill the duties for which they are paid. We can say they did their job or even did it well, but we cannot say they are faithful for doing what is expected and are paid to do. Only those who do more than what they are paid for can be recognized as 'faithful'.
Such workers don't work with reluctance nor do they think about the minimum that has to be done to get paid. They have a desire coming from the heart to fulfill their duty with all their heart, mind, and soul, without sparing their time and money.
In the case of Moses, he put up his life when he prayed to save the sons of Israel who had committed sins. "Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, 'Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!'" (Exodus 32:31-32)
Actually, Moses' duty was to bring the people out from Egypt and lead them. When Moses was fulfilling this duty he had the heart of God and guided the people with all his love and effort. That is the reason why, when the people committed sins, he felt as if it was his own fault, and he wanted to take the responsibility for it.
It is the same with Apostle Paul. Romans 9:3 says, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Those who are faithful will not just think, "I've done enough," but they will work with all their heart.
2. It is faithfulness when one circumcises the heart and is faithful in the truth.
Suppose somebody joined a gang and dedicated his life to the boss of the gang. Will God say he is faithful? Of course not! God can recognize our faithfulness only when we are faithful in goodness and truth. The most important thing in being faithful in the truth is the circumcision of the heart.
Revelation 2:10 says, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Here, to be faithful until death does not just mean we have to work hard and faithfully until our physical death. It means we try to accomplish the Word of God in the 66 books of the Bible with all our life. As Paul said 'I die daily,' we have to put our flesh to death completely and become sanctified. This is spiritual faithfulness.
What God desires of us the most is holiness. We have to realize this point and do our best to circumcise our hearts. Whatever duty we are carrying out right now, we have to be faithful without change while also accomplishing holiness.
In event of difficulties that occur or some trials of the heart, we will not give up our precious duty just because of it. On the other hand, if one neglects circumcision of his heart, he won't be able to keep his heart when he is faced with difficulties and hardships. He may forsake the relationship of trust with God and give up his duty.
To have the faithfulness acknowledged by God, we must seek spiritual faithfulness, which means we have to circumcise our hearts. Circumcision of heart is a must for children of God who are saved. If we cast away sins and fulfill our duties with a sanctified heart, we can bear much greater fruit than when we fulfill them with fleshly thoughts.
Suppose you sweat working hard all day on Sunday. But you broke peace with people. If you serve the church while complaining and harbor resentment, much of your rewards will be subtracted. But if you serve the church with goodness and love having peace, all your work will be an aroma acceptable to God and each of your deeds will become your reward.
3. Faithfulness is working in accordance with the master's will.
Suppose the master directed his worker to do work within the household, but this worker went out to work in the field all day. He did not obey the master's will, and it is because the master's will was different from his own ideas or, he had self-centered motives. Then, even though he worked so hard, he is not a faithful worker. He is only following his own thoughts and desires, and he can forsake the master's will any time.
In the church, we need to work faithfully according to the heart of God. We should be faithful by understanding the heart of superiors in spiritual orders and by obeying them. No matter how hard we work for our duties, if we work as we want, we cannot refresh the heart of the master.
In the Bible we read about a person named Joab. He was a relative of King David and the General of the Army. Joab was with David through all the dangers while he was being chased by King Saul. He had wisdom and he was valiant. He served David very well, but David was not very comfortable with him. It was because his service was not from the bottom of the heart. Joab did not hesitate to act insolently before David when he wanted to achieve personal goals. When it was beneficial for himself, he disobeyed David. Finally, Joab rebelled against King Solomon, David's son, and was put to death.
When we do God's work, the most important thing is not how hard we work, but it is whether we are following the will of God or not. When we work in the church, we should also follow our leaders before we follow our own ideas. This is true faithfulness.
4. Being faithful to oneself in all aspects is faithfulness.
In Numbers 12:7, God says about Moses, "He is faithful in all My household." To be faithful in all God's household means to be faithful in all aspects related with the individual person. In the church, when we have many duties we still have to fulfill all our responsibilities. Even though we don't have a particular duty in the church, it is one of our duties to be present where and when we are supposed to be present as a member.
Not only in the church, but in places of work and school, everyone has their duties. In all these aspects, we have to fulfill our duties as the members. To be faithful in all God's house is to be faithful as God's children and as leaders or members of the church, of the family, in the work place, or in school. We should not be faithful only in one or two duties and neglect other duties. We have to be faithful in all aspects.
To the extent that we cast off flesh and change into spirit, it is not something difficult to be faithful in all aspects. Although we invest just a little time, we can surely reap the fruit if we sow in spirit. Also, those who have changed into spirit seek others' benefit and view things from the standpoint of others first. Thus, such people will take care of all their duties even if it means self-sacrifice.
One person has two duties in each of two different groups. If she cannot physically be present with one group, she will try to be some kind of help to that group in other ways and in the heart. We can be faithful in all God's household and have peace with everybody to the extent that we have goodness.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the reason why we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and work faithfully up until the point of death after we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift is to lead countless people who the Lord bought by paying His blood, to the way of salvation. Psalm 101:6 says, "My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me." I urge you to bear the fruit of faithfulness in heart and practice the Lord's love. In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will dwell in the most beautiful heavenly dwelling place, New Jerusalem.
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